Air cooler and humidifier



April 4, 1933. SNQWDEN ET AL 1,903,301

' AIR COOLER AND HUM'IDIFIER Filed. June 20, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l FWG.1 Z4 \N\! ENTORE) RE. ENOW DEN J. P. ROQCH QTToRN iYb April 1933- F. E.SNO WDEN ET AL 1,903,301

AIR COOLER AND HUMIDIFIER Filed June 20, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2GTYORNEYE:

- Patented Apr. @1933 UNITED ST TES PATENT OFFICE rename a SNOWDEN' A mJoni: r. noacn, or Los mamas, cum-am m 600mm AND mums-ma Applicationfiled June 20, 1927. Serial No. 200,055.

Our invention is an air cooler and humidifier of the type in which acurrent of an 15 blown over a surface of water.

An object of our invention is the construction of an air cooler andhumidifier in which the air may be blown by an electric fan or the likeand passesover'shallow films of flowing water, the breeze of airsweepingover the surface of such films of water and hence absorbas addshumidity thereto.

Our invention is particularly adaptedfor hot arid districts as well asfor residential use in cold climates where the airbecomes too dry by theheating appliances, and our invention is applicable to portable or fixedequipment.

A more specific object of our invention is the use of inclined trays orthe like over which a thin film of water flows, this water travelingfrom one tray to another in a zigzag path downwardly. These trays arepositioned in relation to an electric fanwhereby the air from the fan isblown over the surface of the trays and thus absorbs moisture. Areservoir is located at the base of the cooler from which the water iselevated by means of a pump to the uppermost tray, whence it flowsbygravity and cools and humidifies the air,

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of our cooler and humidifier,such figure being taken in the direction of arrow 1 of Fig. 2.

Figure 2 is an end elevationin the direction of the arrow 2 of Fig. 1,showing the intake end of the cooler.

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 inthe direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section on the line H of Fig. 3, inthedirection of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a horizontal longitudinal section on the line 55 of Fig. 4,in the direction of the arrows.

The structure is preferably provided with a flat base 11 on which ismounted a reservoir 12, this belng, in the instance illustrated, a

ing the moisture. This cools the air as well on to the upper tray.

. levels. Between the angles 17 and the angles 16 there is stretched aseries of trays 19 preferably formed of a woven fabric such as canvas.These trays extend on a downward inclination from a forward angle 17 tocertem of the rear angles 16. From other of the rear angles 16 to thebars 18, there are other trays formed in the same manner, these beingindicated by the numeral 20.

At the lower end of each of the downwardly 7 and rearwardly inclinedtrays there are discharge spouts 21 which allow the water to flow froman uppertray to one of the lower trays 20 and be conveyed forward. Thereis a space 22 between the front end of the downwardly and forwardlyinclined trays and the angles 17, allowing the water'to flow over froman upper tray to 'a lower, in a species of cascade. p a

We have a filler opening 23 on top of the so casing covered with a cap'24 and in the size illustrated we also use a. handle 25 for carryingpurposes. The lower part of the casing 13 forms a water receptacle andhasan opening 26 therein to allow flow of water into the tank reservoir12, this reservoir having a clean-out opening 27 having a suitableclosure. I

A pump 28 is mounted in a-su'itable position preferably forward of thereservoir and has an intake pipe 29 connected thereto, this pipe leadininto the reservoir. A discharge pipe 30 con ucts the water from the pumpupwardly and discharges it through a nozzle 31 l .A spider 32 isconstructed at the forward end of the casing immediately behind thescreen 14 and forms the support for a fan shaft 33, this shaft having apulley 34 thereon driven b a belt 35 actuated by a driving pulley 36 ofan electric motor 37, this pulley r 36 being on an armature shaft 38,which also operates the pump 28, which is preferably of a centrifugaltype. A fan'39 is connected to the pulley 34 preferably by means of asleeve 40. A water gauge 41 is connected by a pipe 42 to the reservoir12.

T e manner of operation and functioning of our cooler and humidifier issubstantially as follows:

The reservoir 12 is preferably filled by pouring water through thefiller opening 23, this water flowing from one tray to the other in azigzag path and, if desired, the fan may be operating at the same time,this fan blowing air from the front of the machine through the casing 13outnthro ugh the screen 15. As the electric motor operates the pumpsimultaneously with the fan the water in the reservoir is elevated bythe pump and discharged at the nozzle 31 and flows down the inclinationof the upper tray 19, the water spreading laterally over this tray. Atthe lower end of the tray the water passes through the short pipes 21 onto the forward and downwardly inclined trays, indicated by the numeral20, and atthe forward end. of these trays it has a slight drop on to thenext rearwardly and downwardly inclined tray, the action of the waterbeing in the same manner through the whole tier of trays.

The air from the fan follows the direction of the arrows 43 between thewide part of the trays at the front of the machine, and in so doingtakes up moisture from the forwardly and rearwardly inclined trays andalso such water as seeps through the rearwardly and downwardly inclinedtrays 19. A certain amount of air also flows through the space 22between the forward end of the forwardly and downwardly inclined traysand the rearwardly and downwardly inclined trays, following thedirection of the arrow 44. This flow of air absorbs moisture from thethin sheet of water on the downwardly and rearwardly inclined trays 19and also the water which seeps through the forwardly and downwardlyinclined trays 20.

It will thus be seen that there is a large surface of water in acomparatively small casing exposed to the direct drafts of air blowingover the surface of the water, and also absorbing water from the lowersurface of the fabric trays where such water seeps through such trays.Hence on account of the large exposed surface, a large volume of watermay be absorbed for a given quantity of air blowing through thehumidifier, such amount dependlng, to a certain extent, on the humidityof the air before it enters the cooler. The action is both to cool andhumidify the air.

A characteristic feature of our air cooler and humidifier is that theforaminated trays carrying the water from an upper to a lower level arearranged in a zigzag manner with the air blower fan at the intake end.This forces the air under pressure between converging trays. These traysat the intake end are substantially in contact so that a higher traydischarges into the tray next below, but at the outlet end the trays arespaced apart giving a free flow of air between an upper and a lowertray, except that this air is under a compression due to the fan. At thedischarge end the water is conveyed from an upper to a lower tray bypipes which do not obstruct the flow of air at the discharge end to anappreciable extent. While a certain amount of air may flow through theporous, foraminated material yet the bulk of the air becomes humidifiedand cooled by surface contact with the water on the top of a lower trayand the drops of water clinging to the lower surface of an upper tray,as well as by any water which may drop from the lower side of an uppertray to a lower tray.

It is obvious that our invention may be adapted to permanentinstallations or portable structures, as illustrated.

Various changes may be made in the principles of our invention withoutdeparting from the spirit thereof, as set forth in the description,drawings and claims.

We claim:

1. In an air cooler and humidifier, a structure having a plurality ofsuperimposed trays, adjacent trays being inclined in oppositedirections, means to force air under pressure simultaneously over thetrays from one end in the same direction, the trays at the intake enddischarging substantially an upper one into the tray next below and atthe discharge end an upper tray discharging into a lower tray by pipes,said trays being spaced apart at the discharge end.

2. In an air cooler and humidifier, a structure having a plurality ofsuperimposed trays, adjacent trays being inclined in oppositedirections, a fan forming an air blower and blowing air longitudinallyover the trays, said trays being covered with a porous material, theends of the trays adjacent the fan having a discharge end of the uppertray contiguous to the intake end of the lower tray and at the dischargeend having an upper tray spaced from the tray next below with a pipeleading from the said upper to the tray next below, there being a spacebetween adjacent trays at the discharge end for the discharge of air.

3. An air cooler and humidifier comprising in combination a base, areservoir connected thereto, a tubular casing mounted on the reservoir,a plurality of pairs of inclined trays extending transversely across thecasing, adj acent trays being inclined in opposite direc tions, a fan atone end of the casing blowing air simultaneously over all the trays, theends of the certain pairs of contiguous trays adjacent the fan beingpositioned close totray.

4. An air cooler and humidifier comprismg in combination a base, areservoir connected thereto, a tubular casmg mounted on 10 thereservoir, a plurality of inclined trays extending transversely acrossthe casing, adj acent trays being inclined in opposite directions, saidtrays at their converging ends being spaced apart to allow a cascade ofwater and having a pipe leading from the low end of an upper to a lowertray, a pump connected to the reservoir and having a discharge on theuppermost tray, an electric fan ournaled in the front of the casing andpositioned to blow air longitudinally and simultaneously in the samedirection over the trays in the direction of inclination, and a motormounted on the base having means to drive thefan and the pump.

5. In an air cooler and humidifier, a structure having an intake and adischarge end and a plurality of superimposed trays, adjacent traysbeing inclined in opposite/directions, pipes leading from the lowermostends of an upper tray and discharging on the tray next below at thedischarge end, and the adjacent ends of the trays at the intake endbeing spaced apart and allowing a cascade of water from an upper to alower tray, and means to blow a current of air over said trays fromthe'intake to the discharge ends and in the same direction over all ofthe trays.

6. In an air humidifier,-a structure having a plurality of superposedporous trays, ad'- j acent trays being inclined in opposite directionsforming air passages having a relatively wide space at the intake endand a contracted space at the discharge end, means to flow water overthe trays from the uppermost to the lowermost, the water dischargingfrom the low part of an upper tray to the upper part of the tray nextbelow, means to blow air in a direct path from the intake to thedischarge end of the passages, the air converging trays, and allowingfree ex ansion of the air at the discharge end 0 the passage.

7. In an air humidifier, a structure having a plurality of poroussurfaces therein, the structure having an intake and a discharge end,the said surfaces converging towards the intake and discharge end buthavfaces at the intake end and a space for flow of air at the dischargeend,-the said surfaces forming a series of converging air passages, saidpassages having a relatively wide opening at the intake end and a narrowopening at the discharge end, means to moisten the becoming compressedin passing betweening but little space between adjacent sli saidsurfaces, means to forcibly blow air through the said passages and overthe said surfaces, the air traveling in a substantially straightdirection from'the intake to the discharge end of the passages, andefiecting a free expansion of the air after leaving the discharge end ofthe passages.

8. In an air humidifier, a structure having an intake and a dischargeend for the flow of air, a plurality of surfaces to carry moisturemounted therein, said surfaces converging at the intake and dischargeends but having but little space between converging surfaces at theintake end and a space for the discharge of air at the outlet end, thesaid surfaces forming air passages having a relatively wide entrance endand a contracted discharge end, means to moisten the surfaces on atleast one side of the passages, means to forcibly blow air in' asubstantially straight direction between the intake and the dischargeends of the passages, and allowing free and unobstructed flow,of airfrom the discharge end of the passages.

9. In a humidifier, a structure having an intake and a discharge end forflow of air and a plurality of surfaces mounted therein convergingtowards the intake and discharge ends, said surfaces having a closeconvergence at the intake end and a space for flow of air at the outletend, thereby forming a series of converging air pasages, means tomoisten the converging surfaces at each passage, means to flow airforcibly through said passages, and allowing a free discharge andexpansion of air at the end of each passage.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

I F. E. SNOWDEN.

J. P. ROACH.

